Choosing a Large Format Camera Part 4.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Which type of lens?
Real view camera photographers will tell you that you should buy all your lenses from one company because they will be matched for color and contrast. Unless you're doing catalog photography, I think this is bad advice. First, in a world of digital imaging and color negative film, I don't see why color consistency should be so important. Second, one of the joys of view camera ownership is that you can choose any lens from any manufacturer.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Here are some of my favourite lens ideas:

  • the Schneider Super Angulon XL series; these are innovative wide angles introduced with great fanfare in the late-1990s. They are revolutionary in that they cover the full 4x5 frame while going as wide as 47mm (equivalent to a 15mm lens on a Nikon). Personally, I would get a 72mm XL. Don't forget to budget $500 extra for a center filter that corrects for the inevitable wide-angle light falloff in the corners.
 
 
 
 
 
 

  • Nikkor AM 210 ED macro lens. This is an apochromatic lens at 1:1 and covers 8x10 easily. It is frighteningly sharp.

  • Nikkor T 360mm lens. This is part of the Nikon telephoto series introduced in the 1980s. They have ED glass and, because of their telephoto design, let you take portraits without racking the bellows out to an absurd and unstable degree. Even more interestingly, you can get an extra rear element for the lens and convert it to 500 or 720 mm. Caveat 1: these are big long lenses. If you want a 300 for field use, consider an older 300/9 non-telephoto design.
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  • Caveat 2, because the telephoto design puts the nodal point way out in front of the lens, and therefore in front of the lens board, tilts and swings will not work as expected.

  • Rodenstock 250mm Imagon. This is a very strange soft-focus lens that covers 4x5. Use it for portraits and landscapes.

  •   The 210 macro will work reasonably well at longer distance so you might as well get a 150. Schneider's APO Symmar and Rodenstock's APO Sironar S are indistinguishable.
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Large Format

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